Los Angeles Times bestsellers for May 24, 2009

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace: $25.95) Sookie Stackhouse finds herself a pawn in a war with a race of unhuman beings.

2

2.

The 8th Confession by James Patterson (Little, Brown : $27.99) The murders of a priest and high society couple test the limits of the Women's Murder Club.

3

3.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death.

44

4.

First Family by David Baldacci (Grand Central: $27.99) A child is kidnapped from a birthday party held at Camp David.

4

5.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) The final book in the "Twilight" saga finds Bella choosing immortality.

41

6.

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon: $23.95) In the latest installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Precious Ramotswe is in need of her own detection talents.

3

7.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time.

2

8.

The Women by T.C. Boyle (Viking: $27.95) Frank Lloyd Wright's life as told by four women who loved him.

13

9.

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) Terrorists disguised as foreign exchange students living with American families plot mass destruction.

1

10.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined while changing a Mississippi town.

1

11.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $12.95) Greg's dad enlists him in sports to toughen him up.

17

12.

Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central: $26.99) Special Agent Pendergast returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult.

1

13.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $25.99) Aliens take over the minds of humans.

38

14.

Wicked Prey by John Sandford (Putnam: $27.95) Criminals with a grudge crash the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

1

15.

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) The case of a man accused of murdering his wife reveals a medical phenomenon.

4

Nonfiction

1.

Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley (Twelve: $24.99) The son of William F. and Patricia Buckley tells of life with the high-powered couple and how he coped with their deaths.

2

2.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers.